Design Student - Blog Posts

second year of uni is over!

felt like it was yesterday that i moved in, all excited for the new year and it's suddenly just over :(

also technically it's not over because i have an abnormal psychology exam still left tomorrow but most of my exams/jury exhibitions are over and i feel sad ngl

but anyways i will try my best to study for the last exam after a cute dinner i had last night while watching apothecary diaries (love maomao sm)

till next time <3

academic comeback era <3

tasty food and (intense) study sessions

end sem szn is nearing and i need to start preparing so:

psych:

bio bases

test-yourself-flashcards for neurotransmitters & their functions and parts of the brain & the functions

start going through ppts, start with the topic you feel the most lost in (or figure some other strategy for this, if needed)

simultaneously go through the QB questions for the topics you do

and ofc, past-year papers

stats

start making compulsory cheat sheet

(timed) practice exercises

past-year papers

personality psych

go through ppts (of both profs, if needed)

go through given textbook(s) for more clarity

past-year papers

social psych

start making mind-maps of theories/topics to understand the topics, use given textbook(s) for this

start with the topics that weren't tested in the quiz

teach it to yourself through storytelling, don't rote memorise

past-year papers

design:

make final presentation

finish up prototype, add aesthetic details, sticky notes and other labels

prepare points you wish to emphasize on during jury

had yet another hectic (eventful) week

💌 had my final exhibition for graphic design class (had to run all over the city while preparing the file and other collaterals😭)

💌 treated ourselves after all the hardwork🤭

💌 pretty clouds on campus

💌 a really cute campus catto

💌 study session with a friend (from a completely different major lol)

i have two mid-sems this coming week, pls pray for me😔😭

even though i feel v sleepy, afternoon classes are a vibe 乁⁠[⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠ᴥ⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠]⁠ㄏ

the campus cattos make it better <3

went to this cute unrestaurant (that's what they called it lolol) today with a friend

tried to do this cute animated doodle-blogging commentary ive seen around, kind of obsessed

i have an assignment due today at 11:59 and im so scared im not going to make it

hoping for the best because i plan on staying in my academic weapon era

(⁠｡⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

edit: IM DONE WITH THE ASSIGNMENT?????? ONG

i declared my major and minor last week!

(if i sound excited about it, im not)

kind of scared but okay

but it feels nice to say that im doing a psych major with a design minor (⁠ʘ⁠ᴗ⁠ʘ⁠✿⁠)

DAY THIRTEEN - BLOG POST #15

So there we have it, the last day of class and our final submission was due. I’ve pasted in a photo to give you guys a little look-see of how it turned out. As you can see, it really evolved from the initial concept to the final design. I know I say it constantly, but you need to ‘Kill Your Darlings’.

I don’t think I could have gotten to my final design if I wasn’t willing to flex on what I was doing and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’ve learned to let go of my initial vibrant idea during my time in this class and I think I’ve learned that just because my initial concept works, it doesn’t mean it’s the only concept that does. 

Due to printing, my design shifted a little on the page and cutting it became an issue. I didn’t get as clean a prototype as I would have liked as a result, but I’m happy enough with the results! We went from a complicated little box with a pour spout to as little paper as I could manage and I think that I accomplished the goals of this project in that sense.  

I loved working with a real-life client and while my design was not chosen, she told me that she really liked it, so I feel happy about that. 

DAY TWELVE - BLOG POST #14

Bet you weren’t expecting this!

I know that last week I was pretty hung up on my box with the spout idea, but after taking a look at the notes I’d taken at our first meeting with our client, I realized that one of the things she’d said was a dream package for her, was a package with as little packaging as possible. 

This is still a little bit indulgent by having the paper wrap, but I don’t think I went overboard. The wrap is one piece of paper that wraps around the granola, which helps it stand up on the shelf and also gives the granola a handy little carrier handle for those juiced up yogi’s on the go! I think the design is playful enough that it looks cute but can also appeal to all genders. 

After talking to the client today though, I found out that I’d accidentally designed my package.....for ants! This package needs to be at least 1.5x the size for the amount of granola that needs to fit. This isn’t a bad thing though, that will allow me to make my font bigger and give me more room to play as well. I’m excited to plan this out again!

Things to note: 

Add ‘crunchy’, ‘raw’ and ‘dehydrated’ to the front. 

‘Not Your Average Granola’ or ‘Superfood Granola’

3 flavours based on juices

supergreens -> green 

ladyluxe -> pink

 nut milk -> milk chocolate -> tan/bran/bronze/compliments chocolate (quick fix bottle colour to light tan) 

That’s all for now!

DAY ELEVEN - BLOG POST #13

Today we met with our client for the first time since our initial meeting two weeks ago! We also had a visit from Gord Wright, a Hemlock Printer rep. He had a lot to tell us about the printing process and he was very informative. 

With that though, I realized that the seed paper that I was so attached to might not be the right way to go. The problem with seed paper is how moisture effects it. Grocery stores and the Goodlife Juice store may not be a great environment moisture-wise for that. Then, there’s also the seeds that are used and whether or not they are native to BC. If the seed in the paper is an invasive species, that would not be great for our environment. 

Oh well, kill your darlings.

My client liked the box with the pour spout best out of the ideas I showed her but then we realized that the granola will probably be packaged inside a plastic bag inside the box to keep it dry. I’m wondering if I can come up with a solution for this, like a tearaway that’s attached to the bag and box so that when you pull the spout out, the bag is torn open. I’m not sure how this will work, but I’d like to give it a try.

If that doesn’t work, I’m also thinking of just cutting a corner of the top of the box out so that when it’s on the shelf, the bag can be seen. The user can then just tear the bag open without even having to open the box and reseal it with a clip.

I guess I’ll have to try both of these things.

DAY TEN - BLOG POST #12

The aim for this stretch of the project was to create thumbs, mapped layouts and sketch model mockups. It’s hard however to get the appropriate size when you don’t really know how much space 250 grams of Good Life Granola is going to take up. 

Now, something I was told to work on was my ideation component so I worked really hard to come up with at least 50 thumbs to work with. I’m not the type to put myself into a box (*bdm tss*) so I found that just letting my pencil take up the space it wanted was the best way to go for me. This created a bit of a flow of ideas rather than me just trying to fill little squares with thoughts. Sometimes, you need to think outside of the box. (*bdmmmm tsssss*)

Here are the ideas I came up with.

I wanted to make sure that I worked through as many shapes as I possibly could think of to be thorough about the ideation period. Although I came up with some really fun, crazy shape ideas, I found myself drawn to a simple box for ease of production and cost when it came to the packaging and decided to develop those concepts further.

After fleshing those out a bit more, I decided to just sit down and have fun. I forgot how much I loved this part of the ideation and creation period. Although I messed up a couple of times, I didn’t let that frustrated me and instead just enjoyed the tactile puzzle I was dealing with. 

These are the design solutions I have come up with thus far:

I can’t wait to get proper measurements down so that I have a better idea of what I’m working with. I’m not even sure at all which one I like best so far, although I can tell you that the most interesting one to try and create was definitely the rectangle with the pour spout! (I thought my brain was combusting a little bit as I tried to visualize what I had to do in my head.)

Day Nine - Blog Post #11

Project 2 Creative Brief: Granola Package Design for Good Life Juice

Objectives 

My goal is to create a sustainable series of packages for Good Life Juice’s new Granola line that stays true to the brand while being economically responsible for the producer (production costs and impact) and the environment. It should reflect Good Life Juice’s brand while being design smart. By that I mean that the design should be lasting and not follow trends, it should be something that my client can use for many years. I want to make something that will appeal to both men and women because my client said that 80% of her current clientele is female. Interestingly, 75% of her workforce is also female and that is something I want to showcase with the packaging as well. 

The goal isn’t to scare men away from it though. So we’re looking for something more in the middle. My client also specified that she would like the packaging to be ‘classy, beautiful and femme’. 

I already know that I want to make something super environmentally friendly that will match the way Good Life presents itself and strives to be. I found a Canadian Website that prints on seed paper and that’s a route I would really like to go down.

I also want to focus on the life cycle of the granola and the juice pulp involved in it. From start to finish, this granola is environmentally involved and I think this story is important. My client also mentioned that if my package contains plastic, she would like instructions for the user on how to recycle the plastic so that it is eco-responsible as a package and I think that’s really something I’d like to include if I go that route.

Audience

My client is expecting a wider range audience than she usually gets for her juices so I’m going to say that my audience ranges from the late twenties to people in their mid-sixties who are focused on their health and do not mind spending a little bit more on their granola! I have my parents as the perfect test audience as they are both on a health kick right now and have started to take an interest in good design because of my field of study.

In my head, I have three basic users I want to design for. Here is a quick set of notes on each:

Karen Whitmarsh - 28

Interests include maintaining mental and physical health through juice cleanses, yoga and daily exercise. She shops at Whole Foods because she likes buying locally and organic. She’s on the market for a new granola and already drink Good Life Juice. She’s considered GLJ’s granola before but has yet to buy it because the package underwhelms her in comparison to some of the other more sustainable packaging found at Whole Foods.

Jordan Bickeridge - 35

Jordan spent most of his twenties binge drinking at parties, smoking cigarettes and not really worrying about his health and now regrets it. He is brand new to the world of health foods and just wants to buy a granola that will be healthy for him and is worth his money. He wants to go into the granola/cereal aisle at Whole Foods and just grab a package probably based on what it says. 

Elia Yang - 62

Elia has been eating raw and organic for the last five years and has finally gotten her wife on board with her. The two of them love drinking smoothies in the morning and are now looking for a filling snack that also satisfies their sweet tooth. They read online that granola was a great thing to just toss in their purse. Both of them love pretty packaging but hate waste and will likely buy packaging that appeals to them environmentally as well as aesthetically. 

As you can see, this is a pretty wide range but that was the vibe I got from our client meeting today. I think it will be a fun challenge to meet these audience expectations.

Desired Response

I feel happy buying this granola because I know that it is eco-friendly and has the ingredients I want from it to make me feel healthy and whole. 

Creative Considerations

This is NOT Mom n’ Pop’s granola. The packaging must be beautiful, high-end and gorgeous. 

My client wants to be transparent with her customers, she hates it when packages say things like ‘all-natural’ and hates pushy packages.

HAS TO BE CLASSY.

No trends, no geometry, chevrons or primary colours as per my client’s taste.

Must be careful of food packaging regulations to Canada standards.

The packaging must have the essence of the Good Life Juice brand.

I can’t go overboard with materials, it needs to be affordable for my client. 

The package should be sustainable but not look ‘hokey’. 

Day Eight - Blog Post #10

Coombs Country Market Field Trip

We went on a field trip to Coombs today to visit their grocery store. Coombs has a lot of really neat packages in their store because they sell items that come from all over the world! There were beautiful Balsamic bottles, chocolate bars, yoghurt packages and so much more! However, we were there with a simple enough goal and I wasn’t to get distracted, although in the end, it happened. We can blame the edible glitter and handmade paper for that!

Anyway, the goal was to find two sets of a package series that we could draw inspiration from and use as an example for our next project. We’re supposed to design a box for Granola for this delicious, local-based fresh juice company.

Series #1: Fee Brothers Bitters

How is the branding consistent across all of the packages?

While the brand’s colour changes, the layout of the packages remains consistent. The type, logo, paper and sticker along the top are all the same. The only thing that changes in fact, is the colour. Even then, the colours are in the same tones. Even with just a quick glance at the shelf, someone could register that they’re a series.

How does the design differentiate amongst “flavours”?  

The design does not differ much, the only thing I did find is that on some of the bottles, the lid had a different colour to denote flavour as well. However, this wasn’t completely consistent so it was hard to say what it meant completely, which was a small issue in the concept overall.

What is the brand concept?  

The concept for this brand seems to be higher end and meant to make the audience feel like it is an old-fashioned product. It is wrapped in paper to give it this illusion of being vintage and the sticker that runs around the top displays the portraits of what one must assume are the Fee Brothers. What’s fun about is that you can’t see the liquid inside until you open and unwrap the bottle, giving it the feeling of something you might be able to present as a gift.

Other thoughts?

I’m kind of curious to see what the bottle looks like underneath the paper and was seriously considering buying a bottle just to check. It’d be cool if this product was so easily recycled by just removing the label and bringing the glass in! While I want to create something consistent, I also want to make sure that I focus on the environment. I’m already thinking about what I might do to make the package sustainable and within my client’s budget. I like the idea of glass.

Series #2: Whittaker’s Chocolate.

How is the branding consistent across all of the packages?

Whittakers is a really neat brand because while there are a lot of flavours, the Whittakers chocolate brand is unmistakable. I first came across it in New Zealand, where it is manufactured and proudly second only after Cadbury chocolate. Every single package is a beautiful shade of gold in a paper wrap and when opened, another foil wrap of gold protects the chocolate inside. The branding remains consistent by keeping the logo at the top of the package, followed by the chocolate information and name.

How does the design differentiate amongst “flavours”?  

There is always a block of chocolate at the bottom but it is always illustrated with the correct flavour profile per package. Each flavour also has a unique font colour. Otherwise, the rest of the package remains the same.

What is the brand concept?  

The concept for the brand is definitely meant to be luxurious, denoted by the gold wrap colour. The font tells us that it is also meant to be old-fashioned. Knowing New Zealand, I know how proud they are of their heritage and this chocolate is meant to draw on that. The user should feel that when they are picking up this block at the grocery store, they feel like they’re in a lovely old candy shop.

Other thoughts?

I was wondering if I was drawn to this series because of the nostalgia I felt when looking at it, you can’t count on one hand the amount of these bars I got through when I lived there! However, you can tell just by the image that this is a really strong series. There is no question that they are linked and I think the key to that is only changing a small part of the package to reflect the different flavours. The goal is definitely to have the user know without question that the two separate items that they are holding are linked.